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Fuel consumption is affected by the type of roads your vehicle travels on a daily basis. Both busy city streets and relatively quiet toll roads present their own challenges.
Therefore, you need a basic understanding of fuel consumption in urban areas and on highways to maximise fuel efficiency. Additionally, you can reduce fuel costs through Cartrack software and routine fleet maintenance.
City Driving vs. Highway Driving: Which is More Fuel Efficient?
Each road has a different impact on your vehicle's fuel consumption.
You likely frequently dispatch your fleet to deliver goods and packages along various routes. Have you ever compared the fuel consumption of vehicles traveling from urban to suburban areas with those traveling on toll roads to factories/warehouses?
If you've ever driven a car, you'll find that driving on city streets puts a greater strain on your vehicle. This applies not only to fuel consumption but also to component wear and tear. The engine works harder when navigating city streets, changing speeds, decelerating, and even coming to a complete stop at intersections.
Let's take a look at what makes these two types of routes have such a different impact on your fuel efficiency:
Driving on City Streets
Urban routes are filled with short stretches of road separated by intersections, pedestrian crossings, traffic lights, and the like. Here are the factors that affect your fuel consumption:
- Stop-and-Go Driving Patterns: Every time you yield at a zebra crossing or slow down for speed bumps, the engine expends energy to decelerate and then accelerate again, placing an extra load on the engine. Issues such as power outages that disable traffic lights can also increase the frequency of slowing down or stopping due to congestion, thereby triggering higher fuel consumption.
- Traffic Lights and Stop Signs: Sudden acceleration after coming to a complete stop can significantly impact fuel consumption. Similarly, frequently stopping at red lights leads to unnecessary idling (keeping the engine running while stationary). Allowing the engine to idle for two minutes can consume as much fuel as driving a distance of one kilometre.
- Driver Behaviour in Urban Infrastructure: The way you drive affects how much fuel you use. Risky driving behaviours such as sudden acceleration, sharp turns, or sudden braking can negatively impact fuel efficiency.
Driving on an Empty Highway
A quiet highway is kinder to your fuel tank, but there are still a few pitfalls that can affect efficiency:
- Maintaining a Constant Speed Over Long Distances: Driving at a steady, moderate speed within highway limits is far more fuel-efficient than frequently shifting gears to accelerate or decelerate. Using cruise control is highly recommended for long-distance highway driving to further enhance efficiency.
- Vehicle Weight: Vehicle weight and the cargo it carries significantly impact fuel consumption. The heavier your vehicle, the more fuel it requires to maintain highway speeds. Reducing the load or using a vehicle better suited to handle the extra weight can improve fuel efficiency.
- Rush Hour Congestion: If you drive during peak hours, traffic jams on the toll road can cause vehicles to be held up for extended periods, resulting in idling and stop-and-go driving patterns.
Impact on Engine Health: Which Field is Better for Your Engine?
Just as these two types of roads affect fuel consumption, they also affect the health of your car's engine. Consider the following points when planning your daily trips or fleet routes:
Quiet Toll Road
Driving on a traffic-free toll road without a heavy load can have a positive impact on engine health. A steady speed with minimal gear changes or acceleration can reduce engine wear and reduce the engine's workload in producing power over long distances.
City Driving
This is where your engine works the hardest. City driving demands frequent acceleration and braking. This constant fluctuation in speed increases the load on the engine and causes significant wear, particularly on the spark plugs and timing belt. If your vehicle frequently operates in urban areas, extra maintenance is required to keep it running smoothly.
Mountain Roads
Winding mountain roads—which sometimes transition into off-road tracks—place significant demands on the engine. Ascending steep inclines requires substantial power. Such terrain is typically suited for heavy vehicles like trucks, which feature more powerful engines, rugged tires, high torque, and robust braking systems. Nevertheless, regular engine tuning and maintenance remain essential to minimise the impact of these conditions.
Implementing a preventive maintenance strategy can be an effective solution to avoid mounting repair bills caused by driving in urban or hilly terrain. Focus on oil and filter changes, and keep the engine clean of dirt and carbon buildup.
Types of Cars Suitable for Urban Areas vs. Highways
How do you determine which driving environment is best suited for your fleet? Whether your fleet consists of motorcycles or trucks, assigning the right vehicles to specific environments not only impacts efficiency and operations, but also fuel consumption.
City Driving
Compact cars, hatchbacks, SUVs, vans, and delivery motorcycles are well-suited for maneuvering through narrow streets, areas requiring frequent stops, and sharp turns. These vehicles are smaller, agile, and have smaller engine capacities.
Driving on the Toll Road
Large trucks, sedans, minivans, and SUVs are better suited for highway speeds and long-distance travel. These vehicles generally have larger engines, aerodynamic designs, and greater cruising range (cruising) which is comfortable.
Electric Vehicles (EVs)
This type of vehicle is well-suited for both environments. EVs come in various body styles, offer lower operating costs, and produce minimal emissions. Due to "range anxiety," drivers generally feel more comfortable using them in urban areas—where charging stations are readily available—or for short-distance highway trips.
Whether on the city or on the highway, these tips will help you travel further and save money
Assigning the ideal vehicle type to a specific area is just the first step in saving fuel. While it can slow down consumption, there are additional efficiency tips and tricks you can apply:
Maintain a Steady Speed and Accelerate Slowly
It's easy to maintain a steady speed on the highway, but city streets require you to constantly accelerate and decelerate. Remember, your vehicle burns more fuel when decelerating and then suddenly accelerating from a stop. Try to take about 5 seconds to reach 20 km/h from a standstill, then maintain a steady speed.
The Faster You Go, the More Fuel You Burn
Get accurate reporting and a real time dashboard to help monitor your drivers working times to increase accountability and ensure you have enough vehicles on the road at all times. cruise control at a steady speed for longer distances on flat roads in the highest gear to reduce fuel consumption. The optimal speed for fuel efficiency in various vehicles (passenger cars, vans, pickups, and SUVs) is between 50 km/h and 80 km/h; beyond this limit, fuel consumption will increase sharply.
Reduce Idling (Engine Starts When Idle)
This is a major challenge, especially when city streets and highways are congested during rush hour. However, if the vehicle remains stationary for more than 60 seconds while delivering or loading goods, it is better to turn off the engine than to let it idle. In just 10 minutes, a vehicle with a 3-litre engine can consume up to 300 ml (more than one cup) of fuel while idling.
Use Safe Driving Techniques
Driving style significantly impacts efficiency. Unsafe driving habits such as speeding, sudden acceleration, hard braking, or harsh cornering not only impair fuel efficiency but also accelerate component wear, leading to increased maintenance costs.
Don't Be Late in Doing Vehicle Maintenance
The better a vehicle's condition, the better its fuel efficiency. Adhering to scheduled service and regular maintenance ensures your vehicle performs as expected. Believe it or not, tire pressure also affects fuel consumption. Ensure your tires are inflated to the manufacturer's recommended pressure (usually listed on the driver's door pillar).
By applying these tips, you will not only achieve fuel efficiency, but also enjoy the following benefits:
- Save fuel costs
- Prevent premature wear of components
- Reducing carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions
- Improving road safety
- Extend the service life of the machine
- Improve vehicle performance
How Cartrack Solutions Improve Fuel Management in Both Environments
Cartrack is recognised as the best vehicle tracking system by drivers who trust it for their fleet tracking and management solutions. Cartrack offers a comprehensive suite of features ready to transform your vehicles into an efficient and optimised fleet.
Here's how Cartrack features can help you achieve your fuel efficiency goals on any route:
Fuel Monitoring
With Cartrack’s CANBus monitor and fuel sensors, managers can accurately monitor fleet fuel consumption using real-time data and precise fuel volume information.
Route Optimisation in Urban Areas (Route Optimisation)
Use Cartrack Delivery to navigate city streets. The Delivery feature optimises task management by providing shorter, more fuel-efficient routes while helping you avoid traffic congestion and other obstacles.
Driver Training with Driver Scorecard
Encourage fuel-efficient driving habits by proactively monitoring driver behaviour through Driver Scorecards and reports. With this feature, you can track risky behaviours - such as speeding, harsh braking, sharp cornering, and idling - and use the resulting data for training purposes.
See for yourself how Cartrack can help improve your fleet's fuel consumption and cost efficiency. Contact Cartrack now for a free quote and live demo!
